Crispy & Spicy Homemade Nippattu: The Perfect Tea-Time Snack
If you’re looking for the ultimate crunchy, savory snack to pair with your evening chai, look no further than Nippattu! This traditional South Indian cracker is wonderfully crispy, spicy, dangerously addictive  and vegan snack!

The secret to its incredible texture lies in the combination of rice flour and fine semolina (chiroti rava), but the real stars of the show are the coarsely crushed peanuts and fried gram. They add a beautiful, nutty crunch to every single bite. The best part? This recipe yields about 45 small crackers, making it perfect for sharing with family, storing for afternoon snacking, or serving up at festive gatherings.
Nippattu is a traditional South Indian crispy snack made with rice flour, peanuts, and spices. It is crunchy, slightly spicy, and perfect for tea time or as a festive snack. This nippattu recipe is simple to make and stays crispy for many days when stored in an airtight container.
The addition of peanuts and fried gram gives a nice flavor and crunch to the nippattu. These are deep fried on medium to medium-low heat so they become crispy and cook evenly from inside.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup chiroti rava (fine sooji/semolina)
• 1.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1.5 tsp red chilli powder
• Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup hurigadale (fried gram/roasted chana dal)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup water (as needed for dough consistency)
• 4 tsp cooking oil (to heat and add to the dough)
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice flour, chiroti rava, red chilli powder, and salt.
2. Take your peanuts and fried gram (hurigadale) and crush or coarsely grind them. You want texture here, so avoid grinding them into a fine powder! Add this coarse mixture, along with the hing, to your rice flour bowl and mix everything together.
3. Heat 4 teaspoons of oil in a small ladle until hot, then pour this hot oil into the flour mixture. Mix it well using a spoon first, then with your hands after it cools slightly. This step helps make the nippattu crispy.
4. Now add water little by little and prepare a soft dough. The dough consistency should be similar to rotti dough — soft but not sticky.

Shaping the Nippattu:

1. Grease a plastic sheet or parchment paper with a little oil.
2. Take a small portion of dough and flatten it gently into a thin disc using your fingers or a flat cup
3. Make a few nippattu and keep them ready before frying.
4. Once flattened, gently prick the top of each nippattu with a fork. This stops them from puffing up like a poori in the oil, ensuring they stay flat and crispy!

Frying the Nippattu:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium to medium-low heat.
2. To check if the oil is ready, drop a tiny piece of dough into the oil — it should come up immediately.
3. Carefully add the prepared nippattu into the oil.
4. Flip them using a perforated ladle and fry both sides until they turn golden brown and crispy.
5. Remove and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
6. Repeat the same process with the remaining dough.
7. With the given measurements, you can make around 45 small nippattu.

Tips for Perfect Nippattu:

1. Fry on medium or medium-low heat for even cooking.
2. Do not fry on high heat — outside will brown fast but inside will remain soft.
3. Pricking helps keep them flat and crispy.
4. Store completely cooled nippattu in an airtight container.
5. Serve crispy nippattu with tea or coffee. They are perfect as an evening snack or for festivals like Krishna Janmashtami and Diwali.